I have been suffering from carpal tunnel syndrom for about a year now. For the past three months, I have been sleeping with a wrist brace on. Prior to the wrist brace, I had about 5 sessions of massage therapy. I had seen some relief, but recently it has gotten a lot worse. I suspect this is due to working longer hours of typing. My right hand is killing me and I can’t feel the tips of my fingers - except the pins and needles, which drive me batty.
In all likelihood, I can get workers compensation to pay up to 90% of my wages if I have the surgery so I won’t lose money during recovery, therefor finances aren’t an issue. The bigger problem for me is that I am starting my Master’s degree in January part-time. This means, in addition to working full-time as a glorified secretary, I will also be writing 20 page papers… more typing.
Soo… in light of the fact that the wrist brace aint helping, I’m beginning to suspect my doctor is right and surgery is on the horizon. Here are my questions, for anyone who cares to reply
Purely speculation, but is it likely that my cp will continue to get much worse over the next few years? Am I better off getting the surgery asap and making arrangements for my schooling?
To anyone who has had the surgery, did it help? Did you have open or endoscopic? How long before you could go back to work fully - I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has a typing job.
Now, I’m going to soak my hands in epsom salts, because typing this damn near killed me.
One of my secretaries had the surgery earlier this year. Not sure which type she had–I’ll ask her tommorrow. I think she missed 2-3 days of work, and then was on light duties for another week or two. It seemed to help her quite a bit. She doesn’t have nearly as much trouble as she was having before the surgery.
My mom had carpal tunnel surgery where they cut into her lifeline and cleaned around the nerves. To this day, she says that the amount of pain she suffered after surgery was totally not worth it.
That was my experience. I had surgery (endo) and was out for maybe two weeks - it was over Christmas so the holidays played into it more than the need to be off. I couldn’t use my right hand for much (including typing) for about six weeks. Then the pain post surgery was worse than the carpal tunnel had been for about another six months. And after that - well, I still drop things and have tingly feelings and wear a brace to bed - its better - but it isn’t “all better.” I couldn’t play golf for two years due to wrist pain.
Now, mine was never all bad - just persistant enough that my doctor got tired of my griping. And I suspect my numbness had (and has) less to do with carpal tunnel than a nerve cluster in my shoulder that sits under a perpetually knotted muscle - though the little nerve test they did came out positive.
I had it done about two years ago on my right wrist. It’s definitely better, but it’s not a cure-all. They snip the tissue that binds the nerves in your wrist together, and it makes more room for your nerves. However, they can only make so much room in your wrist, so if your nerves keep getting irritated and swollen, you will get the pins and needles again. My surgeon said that it is better to get it done earlier rather than later - since some prolonged nerve damage can be permanent.
The surgery itself was surprisingly easy for me. The worst part by far was the freezing of my hand. That needle bloody hurt! The first two days after were quite painful, and be sure not to get both hands done at once (remember, you still need to wipe your bum while you’re recovering ) I was away from work for about a week and a half. For a few months afterwards, my hand felt weak, but the strength eventually came back.
All-in-all, I’m glad I had it done. It was a very minor procedure compared to what was done in the past (5-minute procedure, three stitches, with an inch-long scar), and it has improved the situation for me - but not eliminated it entirely.
My husband had open surgery done on both wrists back in 2003-2004 (not at the same time!). Endo was not an option for mr.stretch. Workers comp paid for the surgeries, and he was paid for time loss. Because they didn’t take retirement and such out of his workers comp checks, we took home more money than when he worked.
He started exhibiting carpal tunnel symptoms back in 1992, when he was working in a plywood mill. He refused surgery back then and was re-trained…as a clerk-typist. :rolleyes:
Over the next decade working as a desk jockey, his carpal tunnel worsened until I basically made him go to a specialist to be re-tested. Surgery was suggested and this time he decided to go for it.
He has 2and 1/2 inch scars across the base of the palm of his hands where they opened him up to cut the tendons–they kind of blend in with the natural lines there and don’t look near as bad as the scar he has in the same general area where he cut himself with a handsaw. He was off work for 3 weeks for each hand rather than the 10 days they usually suggest because there was no light duty option for him at work. When they removed the splints, they suggested immediate massaging and working with a squishy ball. The more massage, the less scar tissue, the happier you will be with the results.
It was not a cure all. His hands still go numb sometimes, usually when he overdoes it working on some project. He wears padded gloves when he works with things that vibrate–lawnmower, drills, saws. However, before the surgery he couldn’t mow the lawn or feel the tips of his fingers (he burnt himself all the time cooking) and he woke up in pain most mornings. Now he doesn’t drop everything, and I don’t have to mow the lawn anymore!
Thank you, everyone, for your input. I think if I have it done, I can get away with only having the right hand done for now, as my left hand is manageable. My right hand, however, is bad on a daily basis. I’m primarily worried that something could go wrong… I need this hand, after all. I am also worried about being able to resume my normal duties, which are essentially typing eight -12 hours per day.
I should say that I also got an ergonomic keyboard and an Evoluent mouse which did help for a while, but still I am getting worse.
I really do appreciate having this space as a sounding board for my concerns, and for the feedback from others. Thank you.
I asked my secretary about it today. She said she did not have the endoscopic kind, she had the regular surgery. She also said it didn’t really help her as much as she’d hoped it would…but did offer some relief.
Last April, I was moving a semi-feral cat from his foster home into a carrier so we could take him for shots. Bastard bit down on my wrist and ended up plunging one of his sharp little canine teeth directly in to my median nerve. Worst pain I have ever felt, thought I was going to pass out and throw up.
Call my doctor friend and she says I have to go to the ER, standard protocol now is IV antibiotics for a cat bite. I (don’t ask me how, my right hand was numb) drove my stick shift through Philly to get to HUP.
I was hospitalized overnight for ABX and the hand surgeon came to see me. They weren’t sure if the cat had actually hit the nerve, or if it was just swelling that was causing the numbness. By that time, I wasn’t in any pain. They let me go the next morning and I have an appointment to see the hand surgeon later that week.
So, numbness appears to fade a little and all is well. I stop the oral ABX and go on my way. Gradually, the numbness and intense pain come back. I can’t sleep without serious pain meds and I have profound weakness in that hand. He schedules me for surgery.
When he opens me up, he sees that the tooth hit the nerve and caused a traumatic neuroma because as the skin healed the nerve was caught up in the scar tissue. He fixes it as best he can but tells me that I will always have issues. The braces make it worse because they push down on the nerve where my neuroma is.
The recovery from my surgery was much more traumatic than a “normal” carpal tunnel repair, I was out 8 weeks and had PT 3X/week for 2 months. Function will never return to normal and I will never have the same amount of strength/sensation in my right hand I once did. I have learned to live with it, there are things I just can’t do now.
My advice is to do the surgery ASAP. You do not want to deal with the lasting affects of more severe nerve damage if you keep putting it off.
I had an open right carpal tunnel release 10 years ago after having symptoms for around 4 years. Finally opted for the surgery when the pain overcame my fear of the surgery (at the time I had never met anyone who was happy having had the surgery).
It was done in same-day surgery under a general anesthetic and took around 20 minutes for the surgery and an hour in recovery. The relief was immediate and amazing. I had postoperative tenderness, of course, but the constant pain and paresthesias were gone. I no longer woke several times a night in agony, could type without my hand going numb, quit dropping things for no reason. I could hold a telephone in my right hand again, or a paperback book. As a bonus, once my right hand healed and I could use it more, the symptoms in my left hand abated as I wasn’t using it to compensate.
My surgery was performed by a specialist who did only hands and he said it had to be under a general because any kind of local or nerve block prevented them from testing nerve function before closing the wound. The scar is on the palm of my hand just left of the midline, running three centimeters from my wrist toward the center of the palm. It is nearly invisible within the normal creases of my palm.
To answer your questions (strictly from my own experience): yes, the symptoms will get worse. I started out with tingling and numbness and progressed to pain bad enough to wake me at night. Was diagnosed through nerve conduction time testing (a very unpleasant experience all by itself) and was helped a lot by using splints at night. But over time, since I spent most of every day at a keyboard, it got worse, to the point of near-constant pain.
The surgery was a breeze. I had burning pain in the incision for three days or so, but needed the narcotics they gave me for only the first 24 hours post-op. After that first day and night, OTC stuff was sufficient. I did my hand exercises religiously, and after about six weeks had full grip strength back (meaning full strength like before I ever had symptoms).
Looking back, I wish I’d done it sooner. My right hand is fine, but the symptoms in my left hand have returned the last couple of years and I’ll end up having the CTR done on it also. I wonder what kind of damage I did to my left hand by operating virtually one-handed for two years. Maybe it would never have gotten this bad if I’d taken care of my dominant hand in time.
And just a suggestion: try ice. Soaking in anything warm never helped me. Medication didn’t seem to help much. Ice is the only thing that gave me relief. I used frozen peas in the bag they come in from the grocery. You can mash them around to conform to your wrist and hand without any hard edges. Get several bags to rotate, because if you let the peas thaw out all the way they’ll form into one hard block and not be malleable anymore.
I’ve been dealing with numbness in my hands ever since about the 15th week of my pregnancy. My hands are so swollen, at first it was just my right hand that had some tingling, but it has progressed to numbness in all my fingers except the ring and pinkie. And now it is moving to my left hand. Ugh!! It’s not painful yet, just annoying. I’m hopeful that after I have the baby the swelling will go down and it will be back to normal again, but I’m also worried about more permanent damage because it’s been going on for so long! Any other moms have this as a pregnancy symptom??
So I’m interested in hearing about the surgery, because I fear that will be something I will need to look into pretty soon. I’ve always had some hand pain in being on computers so much. I started going to a chiropractor which helped a little, but when I got pregnant the swelling started and has progressively gotten worse.
I will second that using ICE or cold water really helps relieve the discomfort. Kinda hard to do that at work, but when I get home I usually put a cold compress on my hands before bed and it does feel better.
I had the endoscopic surgery on both hands under general anesthesia. Within about a week I had mostly normal function in my hands, but I couldn’t do lengthy hand intensive activity for a bit longer. On the plus side it took care of 99% of the problem. I wish I’d had it sooner.
I had surgery on my left hand recently and on my right hand twelve years ago. Same surgeon, same technique each time. About a 3/4 inch scar.
My hand was completely wrapped for the first week. After that the splint was cut down so I could use my fingers. My right hand was still stiff for a week after that but the left hand was able to resume typing that day.
Minor pain at most even from the beginning. After the split came off, nothing other than a bit of swelling unless I bumped the spot.
The surgeon is a plastic surgeon who does these constantly. The expertise and experience of the doctor is an enormous factor.
To This’ll Do… thank you very much - that’s exactly the type of information I was looking for. I know it varies person to person, but your experience matches mine closely, though seems to have been much worse. In the space of a year, I have gone from numbness, waking up at night with tingling and numbness to now - I can’t hold a needle to sew (which I love to do), holding a book for any length of time is a nightmare, I can’t grip a lid to open a jar, and if I don’t sleep with my wrist brace, I wake up in the middle of the night in intense pain.
I had a chat with my boss today, who suffers from the same problem. She’s referred me to her doctor. He is a neurologist that tests nerve function, and also does the surgery. Apparently, he’s seeing so much of this condition that he’s now almost full-time doing this surgery. I need to get a referral from my family doctor and I don’t know what his waitlist is like. But, I’m very much leaning towards the surgery at this time, especially since my boss told me she would do anything to accomodate my absence that was required.
I’ll revive this thread once I’ve had the surgery for anyone interested in my result.
This thread has been very helpful to me. I went to the dr. yesterday and mentioned my carpal tunnel symptoms don’t seem to be getting better, plus I’ve been waking up unable to feel my hands for about a year. She wants to refer me to a neurologist, and is also trying to get the insurance company to pay for the braces she wants to prescribe me. Right now my right wrist is beginning to hurt, so I’ll stop and put an ice pack on it (thanks, This’ll Do). I 'm really hoping I don’t need surgery, but now I know what to expect if I do end up having it.